Rohan Chakravarthi is the site manager at Bucky's 5th Quarter, contributes to Niners Nation and covers high school recruiting for SBNation.com.
In a late national signing day flip, five-star offensive lineman Soloman Thomas de-committed from the Florida State Seminoles and signed with the LSU Tigers, marking one of the bigger swings in the 2025 recruiting class.
Thomas, ranked as the No. 13 player in the 2025 class by ESPN, is a 6'3, 315-pound offensive lineman who projects to the interior at the next level.
Earning 34 offers from various high majors across the country, Thomas had been a longtime commit of Florida State's, verbally pledging to the Seminoles in December of 2023.
But, that didn't stop teams from checking in and bringing the five-star to campus, as Thomas had official visits this summer to Florida, LSU and Florida State, while constantly making visits to the latter, which made it seem as if his recruitment would remain intact for the longest period of time.
However, the Seminoles had a disastrous season under Mike Norvell, going 1-11, which led to them firing both offensive coordinator Alex Atkins and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller during the season.
Atkins was Thomas' lead recruiter and that opened up a chance for LSU to sneak back in and pull off the major flip, which it ultimately did on Early National Signing Day, providing a major boost for the Tigers' 2025 recruiting class.
As National Signing Day inched closer, there was no clearance on who Florida State's new offensive line coach would be, raising uncertainties for the five-star as he began to look at his options.
Thomas was in Baton Rouge for LSU's game against Vanderbilt in Week 13, where he got a better understanding of his opportunity with the Tigers and kept an open mind going into the early signing period, ultimately making the flip.
What does this move mean for LSU?
Well, it caps off a strong 2025 recruiting class along the offensive line that also includes four-star Carius Curne, four-star Tyler Miller, and three-star Brett Bordelon, with Thomas being the headliner.
But, moreover, it gives them a major solution to their depth issues along the offensive line, while Thomas has the chance to play early for the Tigers at whatever position he sticks at.
Thomas has been versatile during his high school career, playing both guard and tackle, which adds to the flexibility of where LSU can line him up if they deem him ready to play as a freshman.
The Tigers will probably be dealing with a number of underclassmen and inexperienced players along their offensive line next year, especially if tackle Emery Jones leaves, giving Thomas a good chance to compete for an opportunity early.
Moreover, it's a major statement for head coach Brian Kelly's program, as they were able to pull Thomas out of the state of Florida, where both the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles were involved in this recruitment.
Thomas bumps LSU's 2025 recruiting class up to a top-10 group in the nation, while the Seminoles saw their class drop from No. 22 to No. 29 on Rivals.
One of the top offensive linemen in the Class of 2025, Thomas could be a name to watch as an early contributor next year and is a big win for Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers.